Drag Racing History: 12,000hp In 1964 - The Insane Story Of Quad Al
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2023
- If there is one drag racing machine from the sport's history that millions of people have seen on the internet but few have any real story on, it is this one. Known as Quad Al and built by a brilliant hot rodder named Jim Lytle, it is one of the most powerful machines ever set on four wheels. Now, how did it come to exist? What happened to it? What else did Lytle build?
All of that is explained in this detailed look back at one of the most visually arresting automobiles ever crafted by human hands. Lytle was a craftsman, a mad scientist, and a genius who revolutionized drag racing, almost unintentionally. This is his story and the story of Quad Al. 
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What a shame Quad Al never hit the drag strip. Jim was truly an innovator.
Probably the greatest “what if?” in drag racing history.
If that thing ever tried to make a run it would blow itself sky-high 😅
@@brianlohnes3079 Aren't there some drag racing simulators that might be able to create a realistic ET?
@@scottl.1568the point is tho, there are less interesting car which have blown themselves sky high... let’s see it done properly 😅
@@brianlohnes3079 Nah the greatest "what if" was turbonique. Good tech just dangerous fuels
Jay Leno needs to get his hands on this and get it running and operating.....the world needs to witness this....
And he's the only man with enough chin in the game to do it.
Car should reside where it belongs: in the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. Big Daddy's got some coin, too.
Goodwood Festival Of Speed 🤔👀@@The55nomad
He'd just end up burning his face off again, trying to get it running.
It would look amazing occupying a space next to Jay's Allison Roadster
Even back then getting an Allison for $100 would be awesome. They’re complicated and not something you just easily swap into a car. But, still are just so cool.
Amazing to think about how guys like Jim and EJ Potter, the Arfons boys, Lee Pendleton and others did so much for so little $$!
@@brianlohnes3079 There is a story how Arfons ( in the 50 / 60 's ) got a hold of a couple of cutting edge jet engines that really were accidentally sold by the military.
@@brianlohnes3079 I found the article,.
Classic & Sports Car ( A British magazine ) Dec 2001 page 100 . The engine was a GE J-79 and it appears he got the engine in the mid 60's . According to the article, the engine had ingested debris damaging 60 blades and it ended up in a FL scrap yard where Arfons bought it for $ 700 . He called GE requesting a manual but GE said the engine didn't exist ( it was still classified at that point ) , later the military tried to get the engine back but he had a receipt and told them you junked it and I bought it.
9.31 in that death trap? What a psychopath.
Not a psychopath… just a guy with more balls than brains….
I knew of Big Al , but not Quad Al. What a fantastic story , and thank you so much for binging it to us. Greatly appreciated.
Thank you! Love that you got something out of it!!
Yes, thank you Brian! I saw the thumbnail for this video and was immediately transported back to my grade school days. I haven't thought of/seen this car for 45 years. Such a cool memory!
I worked 14 and was
And then there was two we seen
So bought
I was walking down the sidewalk in Reno in front of the Silver Legacy. Hot August Nights around 2001 and there was a guy in front of me in a wheelchair. He had a picture on the back of it of the fiberglass car, I remembered seeing it in some car mag when I was little. I said is that your car and it was Jim. He was so happy someone noticed we talked for over an hour about cars. He told me some very interesting stories. I never realized I was talking to rodding royalty until I got home and did some research. He said he was going to Bonniville the next week and sleeping in a station wagon. He was really a nice gentleman. 😃✌
I’m an old hot rodder an have never saw his creation or heard of this incredible engineer and builder. Thanks Big Al, a cut above the rest.
Me too! I followed everything back in the "old days" but don't remember this. It's like a much bigger version of Tommy TV Ivo's Showboat. Too bad it never got used in anger. There was a guy around here that used Allisons in pulling tractors. He had one with 3 engines all stack together. It was pretty impressive. I was a photographer and had bunches of pix of it but they're all gone.
Nothing that HotWheels or MadMax ever came up with can compare to this masterpiece.
Beautiful..
I watched Big Al 1 run at Lions and was blown away by it. Eventually he built Big Al 2 and put the metal body on a 34 frame and put a for sale sign on it at a little old gas station in Culver City. As fate would have it while home on liberty from the Navy I happen to be going through Culver City and seen the sale sign on what looked like Big Al. Needless to say I checked it out and contacted him and bought it. While paying for it in his little garage he was building Quad Al (garage was wall to wall Quad Al).. I eventually had to sell the 34 while in the Navy because of no money. Been looking for it ever sense.
I HAVE IT IN A GARAGE ON HOUSTON,,, NOT FOR SALE,,,
Both are lying. People are such liars. Sad. 🤦🏻♂️
THIS IS WHY I DONT PUT PICTURES ONLINE,,,DONT MEED TO ARGUE WOTH PUNK KIDS
@@FedSmoker64you claim to own a unicorn without proof and you expect people to believe you. Then when they doubt you actually own it you call them punks. Do you see the conundrum? Nobody wants proof, they just want to see it. Cool stuff deserves to be shared not hidden away from everyone.
@@RadDadisRad TYPICAL PUNK KID MENTANITY, THIS KS WHY I KEEP IT IN GARAGE SO I DONT HAVE TO TALK TO U FOOLS
That car was the craziest thing I saw in the Guinness Book of World records. When I was just age 10 the Guinness Book of records is the most popular thing means of information back in the early 70's! Quad AL blew my mind and never was forgotten!
My dad was one of the first guys to make a 100% CNC “billet” hemi cylinder head in 1980. Veney machined his manually. I grew up around fuel and Alky cars and i make a living burning nitro. I can not thank you enough Brian!!! You so remind me of the Diamond P days and the greats like Steve and Brett. I’m so grateful for your history content. It’s by far my favorite pastime
Remindes me of the 2 to 4 Allison powered pulling tractors of the 70's and 80's. There are a few of them still pulling if you want to see that sort of engine setup run.
I remember when I was a kid, my mother bought me the 1975 Guinness Book of World records. In it was the record of the most powerful car ever made, the Quad Al! I'll never forget being obsessed with that machine. Thank you for the real story!
I remember that, too.
The window chop is wild!
Great biography!!! I never saw the four engine car but I went to his house in West LA with my friend To have Jim Lytelle put an I beam on his 50 Olds coup that he was building. We drove there unloaded the the axel and Jim went to work planning and telling us to remove the front suspension. it was amazing he installed that ford econoline axel that day and the car drove home to Culver City. He was pretty fast out of that tiny garage with no lift. But he did have one of his allisons with shopping cart wheels in one corner of his garage. It was a runner and when we finished the Axel Switch he agreed to fire it up. It was Amazing it shook the ground and chared the wall in back of it a little really a wake up call to the neighbors. It wasn't al loud as a fueler engine is now but it was the loudest engine I had ever heard at the time. He had a couple other allison projects in the yard too. one was a weird Fiat bus thing that resembles a stretched bmw Isetta with the carb sticking out of a hole in the but the Fiat barely covered the motor. I doubt it ever ran but it was still interesting. and the other alllison was in a semi truck frame. But it was a trip at 17 to see a man build such crazy stuff. I think back at the time allisons were some what affordable cus of war surplus they were going for a couple grand. But they got used up pretty fast when people started Racing P51 Mustangs at the air races because they over reved them and all the raceing crap just like now. What a cool guy Cheers
In 1964 I was a 10 year old meathead kid wandering around Irwindale dragstrip with my older brother on race days. Got my ears rung, nitro in my eyes, saw lots of weird and crazy stuff then and in the next few years - start of Funny Cars and some jet engine/rocket cars. I never saw Big Al but was aware of the machine (and Lions) from magazines. Irwindale was a short drive from our West Covina home for my dad to drop us off. I did have the pleasure of hearing and seeing some of the big engine boat races at Puddingstone Lake. I remember one night stumbling into a neighborhood demo of one of the raceboats on a trailer lighting off the engine for a minute or so every 15 minutes. Standing 20 feet away that throbbing bank of flame exhausts.
Man I am super glad to hear you telling the history of awesome automotive innovation! Thank you sir! Your fantastic!
appreciate your enthusiasm!!!!
*you're
@@joshfoley8862 derh, you so smart
Never turned a tire in anger! Badassery indeed! Great video man.
Huge and heavy. A quarter-mile really isn’t enough. Space. The sheer scale of the car makes it more suited to a mile.
Your brought up an excellent point, not only for acceleration, but also for stopping.
With that much tonnage for the dragster, would there have been sufficient shutdown area to safely stop?
Nothing was mentioned about brakes and the drag chute to stop that motorized monster.
It reminds me of people that drive fast in snowy/icy conditions with four-wheel drive vehicles. While such vehicles are capable to speed along in adverse conditions as fast as in dry conditions, stopping in adverse conditions takes a longer distance than in dry conditions.
I say re-gear the differentials, put a faring over it for aerodynamics, and take it to Bonneville for Speed Week!
Would love to see someone build this again as a modern tribute of the car.
There was a fellow named T C Christensen who campaigned a twin engined Norton motorcycle that was admittedly smaller but in the same vein. Amazing the cool stuff that people come up with. I think TC just passed away lately. Thanks for the excellent post!
Great video and history here! Big Al was a ground breaker and should get more recognition for his daring and innovative work. Thank you!
Those four V-1710's on Quad Al mounted like that, actually look very much like a pair of Allison V-3420's, which were basically two V-1710's mounted to a common block and coupled crankshafts...if only he could have found a couple scrapped XP-75 Eagles to get some V-3420's from...
Willikers!
My Uncle had a boat with one of those motors when I was young. Fast boat!
Man that must have been insane!
Open class hydroplanes used the Allisons and the Rolls-Royce Merlins before turbines became the better option. I saw them perform in 1979 as "Thunder boats" at Eldorado lake in Kansas and the sound was amazing, being over the water as a sound reflector.
Only in America !!!! What a gifted engineer. Thankyou
I remember this one! Classic old school engineering! Creations like this were ahead of their time!
This is the first video I've seen on your channel. Might be one of the best first impressions I've ever had on yt. Well done man, really fun to watch.
I think someone needs to do a modern version of this but with 4 blown top fuel dragster engines making 44,000 hp. I would do it but I don’t have any money
Tractor pulls are basically that
Tommy Ivo built the Wagonmaster with 4 full tilt injected Buick nail head V8s back in the sixties
Tommy Ivo built one with 4 injected Buick engines that had the same drive arrangement and it worked well.
@@martinharris5017 thanks for the info, I will have to research that. I think the closest modern version has been tractor pull vehicles
aidangle5521...I believe they are running alcohol in those multi engine jobs, not nitro methane.
Doubtful a top fuel motor would hold together under that strain, time length,etc.
That's a ripping yarn. Well told - to the point and no fluff. Well done, sir.
What a great story. Thanks for brining this to us.
Damn shame someone didn't sponsor him and his build . Was this before All the sponsorship stuff became big ?
excallent as always, brian. thanks again for excellent and accurate drag racing history.
Thanks for watching it!!
We are working on a 'Street Legal' quad for Land Speed Racing...
4 twin-charged engines mated to 4 transaxles, producing 10,000 hp. 2 engines in front of cockpit and 2 behind with 8 WD. We are spreading power out over 4 engines / transaxles and 8 tires. Even with increased weight and higher rolling resistance, it will go over 500 mph. We don't have to use a streamliner chassis / body. Coefficient of drag and frontal area still allows these speeds.
Only thing not 'Street Legal' are the tires and wheels. It can be driven to racing events on street legal tires and wheels, but at those high speeds, rubber would melt and wheels disintegrate. They will be changed in the pits before racing.
Love these videos!! Thank you Brian for the research and bringing back all this GREAT History!
Thank YOU for spending the time to watch it and dig it!
I remember seeing that photo in the Guinness Book of World Records way back in the 70's.
Thank you for getting down to the brass tacs with your commentary. It's probably one of the best commentary videos I've seen on RUclips. Great video.
Now, that's a story! Best I ever heard. Out of the park man!
Brian is such an encyclopedia of awesome history and giving it to us in so many forms via his activities with NHRA, Motortrend, here and probably a few other places I have yet to find.
Thank you for what you give to all of us. Every minute you spend creating content like this brings real joy (and sometimes tears if you were around it yourself) for these awesome historical events in the best sport on the planet.
Thanks a million for this! I love making this stuff for people to enjoy and your words are a great inspiration.
changed the oil once a year, never changed the spark plugs, never broke anything, and he never lifted. god what a legend
Awesome story Brian. I saw a photo of this car when I was a kid and had forgotten about it. Good to hear the details.
The best thing about this... machine is that these are military aircraft engines, so it could develop 12000 HP for hours even, as opposed to mere seconds
Thanks for posting this Brian, I saw the car "Quad Al" at the Ducktail Run at Gas City, Indiana a couple of years ago, it had lots of missing pieces at the time. I worked and retired from Allison and never knew anyone had used a V-12 in anything but hydroplane racing or tractor pulling. To hear about the times he was getting from Big Al, what a mechanic Jim Lytle was, really glad to hear the rest of the story!!
I'm a retired gearhead and mechanic I never heard of this car I watched Tommy Ivo run his 4 engine dragster back in the 60s it was a real piece of engineering. This was a great story thank you.
Wow love these hot rod history lessons! Nice work.
Thanks for taking the time to tune in, Bill!
These videos are awesome. Just got recommended your channel. Love these history style videos
It is a treat getting to hear your voice and these stories 💯 Thanks Brian cheers
Excellent video, what an awesome car and builder! Sounds like the story of Tex Collins is worthy of a video too.
Your videos are a breath of fresh air. I love how to the point they are.
I built a model of that in the 60’s . I think it was either a AMT or Revell kit .
"98% of current rodders are assemblers not builders"
Bro really said his car is built not bought
I remember this car. I never saw it run but it made an impression, that's for sure.
Forget drag racing, this might be one of the most outlandish physical creations in HUMAN history
Man, I remember seeing that in one of the magazines my aunt gave me when I was 12! (she worked for P.A. Sturtevant torque wrenches) My world is all her fault! :) Please keep doing these videos!!!
Ed, what an awesome influence!
I remember the day she handed me a stack of Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, Motor Trend etc magazines. I was like, what’s this all about? Yep, as I said, I was doomed! My Aunt Mickey was the awesomest!
See you at SEMA?
Your Awesome RUclips channel is truly an inspiration and incredible channel. Great work.
Boy Does this Bring back Memory's, I Remember reading all The story's about this car, and this man in all the Magazines,A Amazing man, Tesla of Cars.Thanks For the Memory's
What an incredible guy! Thanks for a great video!
My dad was Tex collins As a kid I used to crawl in and out of all of those cars I remember every time we had to move the quad Al it was a pain in the butt, my dad custom build a trailer.just to pull it.believe it or not behind model TT truck with a fifth wheel and a 429 I still have 8 mm video of the Allison powered, trash truck and my dad’s. Allison powered Hollywood Badman mustang .running at San Fernando drags. Tex funded most of these monsters. I have video of the mustang doing a burn out under power down the entire quarter-mile. Very cool to see.
Mr. Lohnes proving he's not just a talking head on the TV. Speaking of TV, will there be a part II featuring TV Tommy IVO demonstrating how to have a wilder imagination than the NHRA tech guys can keep up with?
Amazing man. Great story and well told. Thank you.
Holy F**K the power and torque of these four 27ltr engines would ENORMOUS!!!!!!!!!! What an ABSOLUTE BEAST of a machine!!!!! Would Love to see it run the 1/4 mile!!!!!
Note how the trailer serves as the display stand for the car. Another hidden gem of his work.
I know it was in the Guinness Book of World Records for a time and I remember seeing a clip of it doing a four wheel burnout as you can see my age.
The imagination of this human was extrodinary! Great video!
Not this car. It never moved under its own power.
Actually you probably saw a picture of Tommy Ivos 4 Buick engine car. Because As the author Brian said Jims 4 allison car never ran.
Fantastic story and Drag Racing History.❤
Keep this up. Good content. Good explanations. Finding things people havent heard of. 👍
I remember seeing Quad Al in magazines when I was a kid. I never knew the complete history though. This was a fantastic video!
Same here. Wish it had been completed and raced!
The car can now be seen at the Monster Truck Museum in Butler Indiana.
In a manner of speaking it had 8-wheel-NON-drive!😢 Great narration. Only forgot to mention that it was in the Guinness Book for many years.
Great video. Thanks.
Thank you!! Great story!!
BRIAN...as usual, an excellent presentation from you. You are THE DUDE
Thank you!!!
It's a shame you don't have more likes/subs/listeners to the podcast!
The information you deliver is amazing! And stories like this are only getting rarer by the day.
Thanks a ton, big fan, always enjoy hearing what you do.
He gets tons of views on TikTok.
Thanks for sharing the story of quad Al
Thank you. I've seen it, but I never knew the story. Awesome.
Somebody NEEDS to run this thing down a track... What a monster. The rear axle seems to be offset relative to the front axle. Is this correct?
I've seen this car a number of times over the years, always wondered if it ever raced, and now I know. I never did. Thanks for the video, and answering the question I am sure many other people likely wondered as well.
I read in a Hot Rod Magazine article a long time ago that he would occasionally cruise Big Al 1 on the street.
Very interesting, thank you!
Thank you for the history! It was great seeing a R&C cover in the video too! Former subscriber here.
Excellent video and history lesson.
Rad. Keep ‘em coming Lohnes!
Very interesting. Thanks for posting this. I'd seen the Quad Al in magazines many years ago. Never heard the story behind it.
Ty for teaching me about this legend
Nice video, well done.
Wow! Great stuff man i learned something today.
Thank you for this story!!! 🤘
Thank you for watching it!
Such a shame it couldn't be made to make at least 1 pass... It deserves a tribute build...
More excellent work, Brian.
great job on this video
Impressive creativity & builds. I remember seeing the chopped Ford sedan in Hot Rod, but didn’t realize it was powered by an Allison! Love the sound of those engines.
That was good, thanks for sharing.
Nice that is some great history! Thanks for sharing 🙏
Thank you for checking it out, Mike!
I thought this was clickbait. Great vid, what a car
I got to see this a few months ago pretty cool that it’s been preserved
Very interesting. I was wondering why I didn't remember this car. It never ran. I saw Tommy Ivo and the Showboat, and Arfons' Allison powered rail and sure remember them. Just hearing Quad Al start up all four engines would be something I wouldn't forget. Very talented guy, that's for sure.
I'm actually surprised a RUclips channel hasn't attempted a mock build of this.
A really great story! Sad ending , especially for anyone like myself, for Quad Al to not have come to fruition! It’s like a good joke with a bad ending! I wanted to see that mechanical wonder thunder down the track billowing smoke for the complete 1/4 mile!!! What a bummer! Back in the day there was a guy that ran a single engine Allison at San Fernando drag strip that was always a great spectacle! The sound was awesome! The passes were so random that I made the comment that they must have needed to clean the track! The exhaust was configured so that it literally blew everything on the track and off the track away! This machine would have rivaled Tommy Ivo’s Four Buick engined dragster of the day if it had ran ! I can only imagine the sound and visual spectacle! Wow…. Wish somebody could finish it mechanically? As a retired restoration technician I have always hated leaving projects unfinished! Thanks for the story! Regards Mad Mike……..
wow! nice info! thanks!
Crazy car and a crazy talented guy . Would be happy just to hear those engines .Great story
Best content on the history of ever
great stuff!
top quality video sir, bravo
Having been to Tractor Pulling events, I can assure you, this beast would've been heard even by the deaf. Five-figure horsepower engines on full throttle shake the air, the ground, and you. It's an awesome experience.